Celebrant Pam Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Janet and Judy entertain children
Contributed by: Pam Vetter

10/6/06 Valley News Article

Before the Olsen twins hit it big, twins Janet and Judy Robinson were entertaining children throughout the valley and Southern California.

For twenty years from 1976 to 1996, Janet and Judy performed for children in more than 8,000 shows at local schools. Their careers grew to the point they were performing at the Hollywood Bowl, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and the Ford Theatre. They also performed in St. Louis and Minneapolis, among other locations. Both Janet and Judy have lived in the valley since 1982.

Their young fans have grown up and have been searching for the Janet and Judy CD's for their own children to enjoy. The treasure hunt is over. Janet and Judy have started a website www.JanetAndJudy.com to reissue the CD's and make them available again.

The twins go by their married names now: Janet Boggs and Judy Brock. But, they still love the work they created for twenty years and continue to work with children today.

Janet loves kids so much, when she retired, she and her husband adopted two children, a boy and a girl. Her daughter had a kidney transplant in November last year, but she is doing well.

"I am grateful for all of my blessings. I have a wonderful family and my life is great," Janet said. "But, I am so proud of the positive influences we've had on kids over the years. We delivered programs and songs to children that were educational. We sang everything from 'Nine Planets' to 'Thank a Plant' to 'Eat Good Food, Get Your Rest, and Exercise.' Anything to reach the kids. For us, it was always about the children."

Judy inspires children through private lessons on the fiddle and guitar. She is also actively involved in teaching pre-school music and directing the children's choir and youth orchestra at the La Canada Presbyterian Church. Janet is by her side in the children's music ministry to help recreate the magic they shared on stage.

"There was nothing for kids during the in-between years and we filled that market. We produced seven albums and sold thousands of those over the years. We were well-known for our music, comedy and the characters we created on stage. It was a time of good clean fun and the music and messages hold up today," Judysaid."With the support of our producer, Steve Trytten, we both sang and wrote the music. Janet played the mandolin and the fiddle, while I played guitar. Janet was the smart one while I was the goof up sibling. We always delivered a moral in a fun way. The kids would laugh and learn at the same time. For us, it was extremely rewarding to know that we could bring them joy, laughter, and knowledge."

Their most popular show was "A Musical Tour of the Fifty States." Other show themes were word skills, health, and science and nature. The kids who saw the musical almanac show will never forget the song, "93 Million Miles Away."

"We tried to use a concept to reach the kids. We taught the kids that the sun is 93 million miles away from the earth. In our song M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, we taught the kids how to spell. Our shows were educational. We connected with the kids and it was a great feeling," Judy added.

"We came close to getting a TV show of our own. Pee Wee's Playhouse was on TV at the time. Judy Price from CBS and Brandon Tartikoff came to see our shows and loved them. Of course, then lawyers get involved and you don't know what will happen," Janet said. "But, in retrospect, everything happens for a reason. Our lives are filled with wonderful things now. Had we gone national and not retired, our lives may have gone in a different direction."

"But, we are proud of the positive influences we had on school children throughout Southern California," Judy added.

"When we'd perform, the kids would forget their problems and be taken to another place. We turned them onto music and messages through songs. Many of our songs played nationally on Radio Aahs, a predecessor to Radio Disney," Janet said.

The twins still look identical, but their lives are so different. While Janet spends much of her time home with her kids, Judy is branching out, beyond teaching, to help families.

"Before the time of computers, we were making slide shows. Now, I've taken it a step further. I'm making DVD Presentations for funerals, weddings, birthdays, or life stories. The family chooses the pictures. I work with them on song suggestions. Then, I scan the pictures and organize them into a presentation. I lay down the track of music to the pictures so families can watch the good times over and over again. It brings me joy to see a family watch a DVD I created for them. They're really works of art," Judy explained. "And, like our CD's, they'll last for generations to come."

For more information on Janet and Judy or their nostalgic CD's contact www.JanetAndJudy.com.

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